Roma sets a transfer deadline for Kone, and Manchester United wants to swap him with Rashford! The Italian club says they truly cannot afford that.

Manu Koné has consistently been linked as a Manchester United midfield target, yet according to Italian sources, the transfer has encountered difficulties. Roma is frustrated that United have made contact over the player without submitting a concrete offer. They are open to a sale, but only if it happens before July 31 – beyond that, it loses its value.

The 25-year-old French defensive midfielder impressed for the national team during the World Cup, featuring in four of seven matches, which reportedly attracted interest from several clubs, including Manchester United. It is said that United and Koné have already agreed in principle on personal terms. Rumors have persisted that a bid from United is imminent, but Roma claims that Carrick's side has never made an official offer.

This situation is believed to have left the Serie A club quite disappointed. Roma has a settlement agreement with UEFA requiring them to keep their cumulative football-related losses within €60 million (approximately £51.3 million). Selling Koné would help the "Giallorossi" meet that target and avoid a €10 million fine from the governing body.

However, under the terms of the UEFA agreement, Roma must complete the deal by July 31, and now there is less than a week left before the deadline. Manchester United's negotiations at the club level have not progressed, and the slow pace has left Roma deeply frustrated.

Reports reveal that United's hierarchy is not entirely united on Koné. Some believe he has too many injury issues – he suffered two serious injuries last season – and has never played in the Premier League, making him a risky option. Therefore, a potential transfer fee of €60 million may be too high.

According to *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, during talks with Roma, Manchester United proposed using Marcus Rashford as a makeweight to reduce the fee for Koné. However, Rashford's weekly wage of £325,000 was too much for the Italians to handle. In Italy, that would amount to an annual post-tax salary of €11 million.

The Italian outlet notes that the only realistic option would be a loan for Rashford, but that seems unlikely because Rashford is only willing to join European giants like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or Paris Saint-Germain. Roma, despite having Champions League qualification, is not at a level that would attract the 28-year-old English star.

As a result, discussions about Rashford never progressed beyond initial ideas. For now, Manchester United's primary focus remains on whether to finally sign Koné outright. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team are still dreaming of bringing in Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni, even though that transfer remains unrealistic.

As for Rashford, the *Manchester Evening News* reports that he is scheduled to return to Carrington in early August. Currently, there appears to be no suitable destination for Rashford in the market, meaning he plans to stay at Manchester United for another season. Rashford has turned down offers from Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, making his stance clear.

United has stated that if no reasonable offer comes in, the club will welcome Rashford back and reintegrate him into Carrick's squad. The *Daily Mirror* claims that the Red Devils have already invited Rashford to participate in the filming of Amazon's new documentary about the upcoming season.

Former head coach Ruben Amorim, who had a falling out with Rashford, has already returned. Although the decision to offload the academy graduate was also made by the higher-ups, they can now shift all the blame onto Amorim, thereby avoiding addressing their own rift with Rashford. However, there is a potential downside to United's decision to bring Rashford back: the impact on the internal atmosphere and morale within the club.